Chapter 119: Little Uchiha Zhili Has the Makings of a Clan Head

In the pitch-black backyard, a pillar of fire suddenly erupted into the sky. Four ferocious giant flame dragons roared, opening their massive maws in an attempt to swallow the person before them whole.

"What is this? Who are you looking down on?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the imposing fire dragons with a sense of speechlessness, yet he couldn't muster the slightest bit of interest. They were cousins, after all; was this the kind of thing used to test an old cadre?

【Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu】

Watching his elderly cousin-in-law straining to spit fire from behind the giant dragons, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel a touch of sentimentality.

He hadn't expected his cousin to still be sharp despite his advanced age, capable of unleashing a Fire Style of such caliber.

"Bang!!!"

Lamenting that time spares no one, Uchiha Gin watched with indifferent eyes as the fire dragons charged at him from four directions, his own eyes slowly staining scarlet.

As the three tomoe in his right eye spun slightly, pitch-black flames suddenly surged over the bodies of the four menacing fire dragons.

In an instant, the dragons composed of fire were quietly swallowed by an endless sea of black flames, leaving not a single trace behind.

Uchiha Gin watched the vanished dragons with satisfaction, closed his scarlet right eye, and the black flames covering the sky disappeared without a trace.

The battlefield, which had been scorching hot just a moment ago, was now spotlessly clean. The elderly Uchiha Madara stood there alone, clutching his war fan, a strange emotion surfacing on his dazed face.

"Cousin, you could at least bring your dear cousin some local specialties like the Rinnegan. It's not that I'm picky, but this Fire Style is truly a bit shabby."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and sighed, looking at the elderly cousin before him with disappointment, angry at his lack of ambition.

"Eh?"

Uchiha Gin, who had intended to give his cousin some electrotherapy with a Chidori Current, suddenly discovered that the cousin opposite him had actually lifted his drooping eyelids. However, beneath them were not the circle-patterned eyes Uchiha Gin had been expecting, but two pitch-black hollows.

"Where are your eyes? You didn't actually give them to that red-haired brat, did you?"

Uchiha Gin looked at his elderly cousin in surprise. He hadn't expected him to have already sent his Rinnegan away for foster care. No wonder he started off by sending such meager offerings; it turned out his pockets were empty.

"Sigh, it can't be helped. I'll forgive you this time. Remember to bring some decent local specialties next time—something like Planetary Devastation or Catastrophic Planetary Devastation. If that's too much, even a Limbo: Border Jail would suffice."

Uchiha Gin stroked his chin, giving his elderly cousin thoughtful instructions as if listing family treasures. Absorbed in his own words, he didn't notice the look of difficulty on the elderly Uchiha Madara's face in the distance.

"Forget it, it's useless talking to an AI like you. You guys never provide feedback on user requests to the backend anyway."

Sighing, Uchiha Gin waved his hand at the elderly cousin who remained standing motionless in the distance, signaling that he could exit the stage.

"Eh?"

He hadn't expected his cousin to be so stubborn, actually dragging his aged body forward, waving his war fan as he charged, his free hand already forming seals.

"No choice then, I'll give you a bit of childhood trauma."

Watching his cousin put up a desperate fight and lamenting that he was old in body but not in heart, Uchiha Gin stretched out both hands and clapped them together skillfully. A pale green light flickered in his palms, refining an extremely vast amount of chakra.

【Wood Style: Great Tentacle Jutsu】

Countless tentacle-like tree branches burst from the ground, sweeping toward the elderly cousin charging at him.

He hadn't had enough tentacle play today; now he would make up for it.

As for the elderly Uchiha Madara, upon seeing the familiar jutsu, he immediately slammed on the brakes. His dazed face was now filled with an expression of pure annoyance; he abandoned his seals and raised one hand.

Under Uchiha Gin's puzzled gaze, he summoned a water-ripple light curtain from the sky. The elderly cousin showed a look of relief at having survived a disaster and was swallowed by the descending curtain.

"Backyard daily refresh random skill 【Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu】, obtained Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu *1."

The system's notification sound rang in the bewildered Uchiha Gin's mind.

Huh? There's such an operation? In the current version, can AIs disengage from combat and run away?

The version updates are too fast; a new surprise every day.

Accepting the Fire Style contributed by his cousin, Uchiha Gin sighed while walking toward his newly built mansion.

Pushing open the door, he saw the two people he had left in the room earlier, face to face, staring at each other without giving an inch.

Sparks of electricity crackled between their gazes, making Uchiha Gin's eyelids twitch.

"Haven't seen you for a while, have you two become friends?"

Uchiha Gin looked at the two with a teasing tone. He hadn't expected the seemingly quiet Xiao Guang to have been led astray by a brat like Senju Banjian.

"Who's friends with this stinky brat (old woman)!"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, the two turned their heads simultaneously and shouted at him.

"Yo! Quite in sync."

Uchiha Gin looked at the two with a synchronization rate of max and said with a smile.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, the two crossed their arms and turned their heads away simultaneously, their expressions as sour as if someone owed them millions.

"Alright, seeing you two getting along so harmoniously, I'm relieved."

He had thought Uchiha Guang would bully the young, but he hadn't expected her to get along quite well with Senju Banjian—at least she didn't glare at him with her Mangekyo, right?

"Alright, once you've chosen your rooms, get some rest."

Uchiha Gin patted both their heads like a peacemaker, signaling that it was time for them to rest.

Pouting, the two walked upstairs side by side. They didn't stop until they reached the third floor, where they looked at each other, then walked to opposite sides, leaving the bedroom in the middle vacant.

The vacant room was the one Uchiha Gin had reserved for himself.

The night passed without incident; no one launched a night raid.

"Brat, watch the house well. I'll bring you a souvenir from the Land of Lightning when I get back."

Early the next morning, Uchiha Gin, having packed his bags, stood outside the door with Uchiha Guang. Uchiha Gin waved at Senju Banjian, who was still yawning upstairs, and gave his instructions.

"Ha~~ Got it. Take good care of Sister Uchiha Zhili for me."

Senju Banjian, eyes bleary with sleep, waved his hand and replied to the two downstairs.

"Let's go!"

Uchiha Gin waved his hand and led Uchiha Guang toward the clan gate.

Upon reaching the gate, the two saw from afar a purple figure waiting quietly at the entrance.

"Little Uchiha Zhili, you've arrived quite early!"

Uchiha Gin said with a smile to Uchiha Uchiha Zhili, who was pacing in place. He could see that the young girl was a bit nervous; her knuckles were turning white from gripping her backpack.

"No, I just arrived as well."

Seeing them arrive, Uchiha Uchiha Zhili forced down the unease in her heart. She looked at Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Guang and offered a reassuring smile, but anyone could see the trepidation in the girl's eyes.

This was Uchiha Uchiha Zhili's first time going out on a mission. Don't be fooled by the girl's usual composed demeanor; her heart was actually full of trepidation. It was just that she had experienced too much from a young age, which had taught her to disguise herself.

At this moment, in front of her Master, the girl's fragile disguise was stripped away, leaving her completely exposed before Uchiha Gin.

"Don't panic. Just lie back and relax on this trip; Master will take you flying."

Sensing the unease in the girl's heart, Uchiha Gin stretched out a hand and pressed it onto Uchiha Uchiha Zhili's long purple hair. The gentle stroking seemed to carry a certain magic, making the previously restless girl feel instantly at ease.

"Let me see, those guys from the Hagoromo clan are here!"

Uchiha Gin took out the mission map given to him by his uncle. After flipping through it for a long time, he finally figured out the current hiding place of the Hagoromo clan—in a forest a few dozen kilometers away.

"Alright, Uchiha Squad, move out!"

Leading a team as captain for the first time, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but feel a little excited. He raised his arm and called for the two girls to set off.

How embarrassing. Can we pretend we don't know this person?

Hearing the slogan Uchiha Gin shouted, the two girls retreated a few steps in unison to distance themselves from him.

Clan members passing by pointed and whispered at the excited Uchiha Gin.

"That guy is that Uchiha Gin, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's the disgrace of the Uchiha."

"The disgrace of the Uchiha?"

"Haven't you heard? That guy went around challenging people a few years ago, not even sparing children, and yet he never won a single match."

"Eh, he looks quite normal, I didn't expect him to be an idiot!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let him hear you. He's the clan head's nephew."

"Ah! Let's run!"

Seeing Uchiha Gin turn his gaze toward them, the onlookers fled in a panic on the spot.

"Tsk! Shallow fellows. I call that finding confidence for the weak and finding problems for the strong."

Uchiha Gin didn't pursue those gossiping clan members; after all, the old men in the dungeon hadn't been willing to grind with him for the past few years.

With no other choice, he had no option but to challenge everyone in the clan one by one, from eighty-year-old elders down to toddlers just learning to speak; he tried them all, and it could be said the results were remarkable.

"They don't understand Master, do you not understand either?"

Turning his head to look at Uchiha Uchiha Zhili, who was distancing herself from him, Uchiha Gin wore a look of heartbreak and said to the girl in a sorrowful tone,

"Mr. Gin, I was also challenged by you. I truly find it difficult to understand that strange fighting style of yours."

Uchiha Uchiha Zhili recalled a few years ago. At that time, she had just met this man and they weren't very familiar, yet he had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, saying he wanted to spar with her.

The girl had thought it was just a normal exchange between clan members, so she hadn't refused. As a result, only a few moves into the fight, the other party took the opportunity to slide to his knees.

"Little Uchiha Zhili, your shuriken trajectory is unpredictable, and your force is like a bamboo being split. I am no match for you. I, Uchiha Gin, am willing to call you the Shuriken Queen!"

"Hehe."

Recalling this scene, the girl, who had still been somewhat worried, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Looking at the smiling girl, Uchiha Gin knew his goal had been achieved. He clapped his hands with a smile and said,

"Alright, we can set off now. Little Uchiha Zhili, I'll tell you the specific details of the mission on the road."

With that, the three of them exerted force under their feet and sprinted toward the mission destination.

"Mr. Gin, why did you call me the Shuriken Queen back then?"

The girl following behind Uchiha Gin couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her for years.

"Eh... maybe it's because I felt Little Uchiha Zhili has the makings of a clan head!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 120 =====